The weekend brought great tennis along with a pair of Grand Slam icons to the third annual Greenbrier Tennis Classic in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The two day event gave tennis fans the opportunity to see Hall of Fame players John McEnroe and Pete Sampras, along with Grand Slam winner Andy Roddick and up-and-coming tennis standout Ryan Harrison.
Saturday’s action featured singles play with Roddick defeating Harrison in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Sampras and McEnroe followed in a tight match won by Sampras in a third game tiebreaker 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 tiebreaker.
McEnroe, now 55, entertained the sizable crowd with his exciting shotmaking and usual antics with the fans and Grand Slam chair umpire Jay Snyder. McEnroe had a legendary career, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles, member of five U.S. Davis Cup championship teams, and held the No. 1 world singles ranking for four straight years between 1981-1984. He also won nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles. McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.
Sampras, 43, won his first U.S. Open title at age 19, and went on to win 14 Grand Slam titles including 5 U.S. Open and 7 Wimbledon singles titles. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007. Sampras is currently the Greenbrier Tennis Pro Emeritus.
Sunday, doubles took center court with Sampras/McEnroe taking on Roddick/Harrison.
The event wasn’t only reserved for big names in the world of tennis. On Saturday, golf legend Arnold Palmer joined the spectators in the stands to watch the action.
The Greenbrier recently announced the construction of the new “Center Court at Creekside”, a U-shaped, 46,000 square feet stadium that will seat 2,500. The Har-Tru Clay Court and professional grade facility is expected to be completed by June, 2015.
– Bill Turner